Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 18:55:35 -0400 From: Chris Ambidge Subject: *Integrator* files for 1996 INTEGRATOR, the newsletter of Integrity/Toronto volume 96-1, issue date 1996 03 18 copyright 1996 Integrity/Toronto. The hard-copy version of this newsletter carries the ISSN 0843-574X Integrity/Toronto; Box 873 Stn F Toronto ON M4Y 2N9 === contents === [96-1-1] RESTRAINING THE HEARTLESS / HUMAN RIGHTS LEGISLATION [a] St Clement Eglinton and St Thomas Huron St pass motions [b] What colour herring did you say? letter from the Attorney General confirms legislated definition inappropriate by Chris Ambidge [96-1-2] BRITISH LESBIGAYS SUPPORTED IN PRINT BY BISHOPS [96-1-3] BOOK REVIEWS: [a] Just Good Friends by Elizabeth Stuart / reviewed by Mayne Ellis [b] We Were Baptized Too / foreword by Desmond Tutu [96-1-4] OUR MOST ARDENT LOVER / reading by Chris Glaser [96-1-5] SINGING A NEW SONG TO THE LORD / hymn for ordination of lesbigay priests [96-1-6] OPENING DOORS IN OTTAWA / workshop coming April 13 [96-1-7] TOWARDS A LESBIAN/GAY SPIRITUALITY / Integrity/Toronto retreat ============= begin text ================ [96-1-1] RESTRAINING THE HEARTLESS >> Toronto parishes call for amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act >> Allan Rock confirms that legislation should NOT define sexual orientation >by Chris Ambidge< - - - - - - At last year's diocesan synod, a motion calling on the federal government to amend the >Canadian Human Rights Act< to include sexual orientation as a prohibited ground for discrimination (along with race, sex and so on) was referred back to the Executive Committee for further study. One of the arguments against amendment was that the term "sexual orientation" was not defined. We have two stories arising from that: two parishes have passed motions of support, and the Minister of Justice has written a letter saying that embedding a definition in the legislation is inappropriate. - - - - - - - [96-1-a] ##ST CLEMENT EGLINTON AND ST THOMAS HURON ST PASS MOTION## On 11 February, the annual meeting of the vestry of St Clement, Eglinton passed this motion: Whereas there remains widespread discrimination, and therefore injustice, against homosexual persons, and Whereas we as Christians hold as central tenets of our faith, the love and justice principles clearly articulated by the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, in 1978: >"We believe as Christians that homosexual persons, as children of God, have a full and equal claim, with all other persons, upon the love, acceptance, concern, and pastoral care of the Church. The Gospel of Jesus Christ compels Christians to guard against all forms of human injustice, and to affirm that all persons are brothers and sisters for whom Christ died. We affirm that homosexual persons are entitled to equal protection under the law with all other Canadian citizens",< and Whereas this congregation wishes to express its strong support for these principles as they apply to the BASIC JUSTICE AND FUNDAMENTAL EQUALITY RIGHTS of homosexual persons, BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT THIS VESTRY EXPRESS ITS SUPPORT FOR AMENDMENTS TO THE CANADIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACT TO PROTECT HOMSEXUAL PERSONS FROM DISCRIMINATION. - - - - - The members of the vestry were provided with a sheet giving this background information: + >Discrimination<, overt or subtle, occurs in a variety of environments, (job, housing , family and school), an dis not prohibited by law in three provinces and in federal jurisdictions. + The >Canadian Human Rights Act< already protects certain minorities: "For al purposes of this Act, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, marital status, family status, disability and conviction for which a pardon has been granted are prohibited grounds of discrimination." + >Official Church Policy< regrding homosecual persons is clear. The Church of England bishops in their 1991 statement said: "God lives us all alike, and has for each one of us a range of possiblities within His design for the universe. This includes those who for whatever reason, find themselves with a homophile orientation which, so far as anyone present can tell, cannot in their case be changed ..." + >Bishop Finlay< in 1992 challenged us to "Build Bridges" to make homosexual persons feel more welcome. + >Education< is the best way to bring about permanent changes in public attitudes, and St Clement's will continue to show responsible leadership in this. + But >Legislation can influence< societal behaviour and attitudes. AS MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID -- "LEGISLATION CAN'T CHANGE HEARTS -- BUT IT CAN RESTRAIN THE HEARTLESS." [emphasis ours -- Ed.] St Clement's has indeed shown leadership in the diocese in these matters. Their Parish Education Committee have held a series of panel presentations starting in 1991. The parish Faith and Sexuality subcommittee have continued to present discussion evenings to help build bridges since then which have been reported in previous issues of >Integrator<. This motion passed St Clement's vestry by a vote of 83 to 41 -- a better than two-to-one majority after a motion seeking to defer was firmly defeated. Copies of the motion were sent to various church and government officials, and news also moved out to other parishes. The same motion was presented shortly afterwards to the vestry of St Thomas' Huron St, where it also passed by a significant majority. It is good to see parishes put their support for full inclusion of lesbigays on the record. - - - - - - - - [96-1-1b] ###WHAT COLOUR HERRING, DID YOU SAY?? One of the arguments put forward at diocesan synod against asking the federal government to amend the >CHRA< was that the term "sexual orientation" is undefined. It struck me at the time that this argument is specious. None of the other prohibited grounds of discrimination -- race, disability, and so on, are defined in the legislation. Indeed, the church itself is protected by the "religion" term in the prohibited-grounds list. This lack of definition does not mean that peculiar cults can come along practising ritual cannibalism or polygamy, and claim protection under the law because they are a "religion". Polygamy and cannibalism are among many such activities that are prohibited by the Criminal Code, and that is not changed by various pieces of human rights legislation. In spring of 1995, there was much debate around the passage of Bill C-41, which amended the sentencing provisions of the Criminal Code. It provided for stiffer sentences to people found guilty of crimes against the person when such crimes were motivated by hatred against people in identifiable groups. "Sexual orientation" was one of the enumerated grounds in this section of the legislation (along with race, sex and so on), and this is the first time that the phrase appears in federal legislation. One of the amendments put forth in Ottawa to define the term "sexual orientation" in the legislation. That amendment failed, and I thought I recalled the Minister of Justice saying at the time that jurisprudence was quite clear on the term, and that it needed no further definition. After synod, I wrote to him to ask if my memory was correct. A little while ago I received a lengthy reply, in which Mr Rock not only confirmed my recollection, but gave a summary of the state of human-rights legislation in Canada as it relates to sexual orientation. Here is that letter: ### [Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Canada letterhead] "Dear Mr Ambidge "Thank you for your correspondence concerning sexual orientation. I also want to thank you for your expression of appreciation for my work in amending the >Criminal Code< by Bill C-41. I regret that I was unable to reply earlier. "In respect of the >Canadian Human Rights Act<, I remain committed to bringing forward an amendment to expressly prohibit discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation as soon as possible. In the meantime, counsel acting on my behalf before the courts and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, take the position that the decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario was correct when it ordered that the Act be treated as though it already prohibited discrimination on that ground in the case of >Haig and Birch< v. >Canada<. "Concerning your specific question about the definition of the term sexual orientation, you are correct in your recollection that I have stated that I do not believe that a definition of the term is necessary. Let me expand on this. "Sexual orientation is an expressly prohibited ground of discrimination in the human rights legislation of eight provinces and territories: Quebec (1977), Ontario (1986), Manitoba (1987), Yukon (1987), Nova Scotia (1991), New Brunswick (1992), British Columbia (1992) and Saskatchewan (1993). As mentioned above, the courts have "read-in" the ground into the >Canadian Human Rights Act<. The courts have also read-in the ground into the >Individual's Rights Protection Act< of Alberta (the latter case is under appeal) and the Newfoundland >Human Rights Code<. "The only legislation which defines the term -- the Yukon >Human Rights Act< -- provides that sexual orientation means "heterosexual, homosexual or bi-sexual and refers only to consenting adults acting within the law". Manitoba provides specifically that none of the protected characteristics in their human rights legislation, which include sexual orientation, shall be interpreted to extend to conduct prohibited by the >Criminal Code< and that nothing in the legislation is to be interpreted to condone or condemn beliefs, values or lifestyles based on any protected characteristic. A provision in the Quebec human rights legislation, which allows for distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation (among other grounds) to be made in pension plans, retirement plans, life insurance plans or in other social benefit schemes, has been scheduled for repeal since 1982, but has not yet been repealed. "With respect to the >Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms<, in >Egan and Nesbit< v. >Canada<, effectively all of the judges of the Supreme Court of Canada accepted that sexual orientation was a prohibited ground of discrimination for the purposes of section 15(1) of the Charter based on the historic disadvantage suffered by homosexual individuals in our society. Not only did this include discrimination against an individual based on his or her sexual orientation, but the majority also was of the view, in the words of Mr. Justice Cory, that "a lawful relationship which flows from sexual orientation should also be protected". He also wrote that a number of courts had correctly decided that sexual orientation is a ground of discrimination in the context of both discrimination against homosexual individuals and couples. In the lower court in that case, Justice Robertson of the Federal Court of Appeal had written that sexual orientation is regarded as including heterosexuality, as well as homosexuality and bisexuality. "In the considerable jurisprudence that has already developed on the ground of sexual orientation, the courts and human rights tribunals have dealt with many cases of discrimination against gays and lesbians individually and as partners. They have recognized that sexual orientation is a ground of discrimination under the Charter. This recognition is based on the overall purposes of section 15 of the Charter, which is the protection of vulnerable individuals and on the lawful relationships arising from a person's sexual orientation. While some judges and members of these tribunals have attempted to define the term, most have not felt that there was a need for a definition to deal with the issue before them. "I hope that this answers your concerns. "Yours very truly, (signature) "Allan Rock "Minister of Justice and Attorney-General" ________________________________ A couple of footnotes to Mr Rock's letter: the case in Alberta he refers to is that of Delwyn Vriend, who taught chemistry at a Christian school in Alberta until he was fired for being gay. [as a gay man who teaches chemistry for a living, this strikes rather close to home for me]. An Alberta court ruled that protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation should be read in to the >Individual's Rights Protection Act< of Alberta. Since the date of Mr Rock's letter, an Alberta appeal court has reversed the earlier decision. It is unknown at press time if Mr Vriend is planning to appeal the case further. It was good to read that Mr Rock remains committed to the amendment of the >CHRA< to include sexual orientation. However, he appears to be facing opposition in caucus to this proposal. Various governments dating back to the mid-1980s have made this promise, and I have a series of letters covering that period back to John Turner as Leader of the Opposition expressing support. The amendment has been promised by the present government too. You might wish to write to your MP and to Mr Rock to make your views known. The Hon {name}, MP [or The Hon Allan Rock, MP / Minister of Justice], House of Commons, Ottawa ON K1A 0A6. Letters to Parliament do not need a stamp. ================= [96-1-2] BRITISH LESBIGAYS SUPPORTED IN PRINT BY BISHOPS The Lesbian and Gay Christian movement is Integrity's sibling organisation in the Church of England. In early February, LGCM celebrated its 20th anniversary. Advertisements congratulating LGCM on two decades of work for gays and lesbians in the church were published in three Church newspapers in Great Britain. The ads said: "On its 20th anniversary celebration, we recognise the valuable contribution made to the continuing debate on sexuality and Christianity by the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, and we call upon the Churches to engage fully with this important question." They were signed by over 300 church officials, including nine bishops and four primates. Our own Primate, Archbishop Michael Peers, joined Desmond Tutu, Primate of South Africa, Edmond Browning, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA, and Richard Holloway, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Congratulations indeed and thanks to LGCM for continuing work in their part of the vineyard. Thanks also go to the Primates and the other people who signed the ad. Their support and witness is much appreciated. ======================== [96-1-3] >> BOOKS << - - - - - - - [96-1-3a] JUST GOOD FRIENDS: Towards a lesbian and gay theology of relationships By Elizabeth Stuart. London: Mowbray, 1995 Reviewed by Mayne Ellis "We are tired of other Christian people kicking around the ball of our lives. We are tired of being treated as a 'problem' reduced to a small part of the Christian ethics curriculum." With a sister like Elizabeth Stuart (editor of the controversial >Daring to Speak Love's Name<), no wonder I can go on being an Anglican. Her new book, >Just Good Friends: towards a lesbian and gay theology of relationships<, is a wonderful addition to the gifts that lesgay people offer the growing debate and exploration about sexuality and spirituality. Written in plain English -- and for those of you who've read some theology, you know how great that praise is -- Stuart uses her experience as a scholarly Christian lesbian to explore the radical notion of friendship as the prime value in Christian relating. Certainly, friendship is very often the prime value in lesgay relationships. Our powerful networks of friendship sustain us personally and communally. Stuart examines our understanding of friendship that can outlast, and may include, passionate love. "The most important advantage of the theology of friendship is that it is inclusive... It enables Christianity to face up to the reality of people's diverse and complex experience of relationships, something Christian theology is unable to do whilst it clings to the idealization of marriage." The story of Jesus is the story of friendship, relating with equality and dignity to others, creating God's kindom (as Virginia Mollenkott would say). Paul ignored this radical vision in his writing, though he, like we, was utterly dependent on his network of friendships to survive and to grow. Lesgay theology and our intimacy, founded on love between equals, cannot function honestly any other way. "The assurance that Christianity claims to give us, namely that we are loved unconditionally by the divine and will be held in its love for ever, should create secure, confident and generous people who can live with and rejoice in difference. The fact that it generally does not, and often seems to create people who exhibit an almost pathological fear of difference, indicates, first, how deep our insecurities are and, second, how badly the 'good news' has been spread." My favourite chapter is "The Idolatry of the Ideal", though it makes scary reading. Stuart elegantly dissects the traditional Christian/Jewish understanding of relationship to the Divine. The static, stultifying, ironclad nature of our metaphors of marriage and slavery led me to uncomfortable questions about my own spiritual retardation. It should be required reading for anyone concerned about the social model of marriage - and everyone doing Christian marriage preparation! We must furnish our minds to counter the inflamed heterosexist rhetoric of religionists, and our own, more insidious expectations about relationships to others and to God. "When I look at a crucifix I am always reminded of what the Victorians did to butterflies. They caught them, killed them and pinned them to bits of wood. The resurrection... is a message that you cannot do that to God... And yet we desperately want... the security of knowing where God is. We want a comforter, a teddy bear who is always there, something to cling to..." This specifically Christian insight into creating an authentic theology of love in community among equals is also part of the growing labours of many within and outside the church to reunite spirituality and sexuality. People of any faith practice or none would find it useful, not least because we still confront, in our own pasts and from families, acquaintances and religionists, many skewed and sometimes wickedly false unquestioned interpretations of "what God means". All of us know what it is to be bashed with the Bible. We have worked out our salvation, discovered our "good news". We have a unique and necessary way of"reading" society; Stuart's book is part of our honourable struggle to "rewrite" it. "In a context in which it is unsafe to be a lesbian or gay man ... it seems to me ... nothing short of a miracle that most of us manage to find one another and love each other into passion... To me this is testimony above all else of the passionate presence of God in the world, sweeping through and knocking down the obstacles to our relating." [author box: Mayne Ellis is a frequent contributor to [>Integrator<. She was part of the Integrity team at General [Synod in both 1989 and 1995] - - - - - - - [96-1-3b] WE WERE BAPTISED TOO: Claiming God's Grace for Lesbians and Gays by Marilyn Bennet Alexander and James Preston Foreword by the Most Rev Desmond Tutu >What follows is the foreword for this forthcoming book. The book is not due out until the end of January 1996, from Westminster John Knox Press, but the foreword is so amazing it is worth seeing early:< What a poignant testimony this book turns out to be. It is a >cri de coeur< from the hearts of persons we have first accepted as baptized fellow Christians, members together with us all in the body of this Jesus Christ, wherein as a result of that baptism there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, free nor slave -- there is a radical equality. And then we spurn them, we shun them, because we are all caught up in an acknowledged or a tacit homophobia and heterosexism. We reject them, treat them as pariahs, and push them outside the confines of our church communities, and thereby negate the consequences of their baptism and ours. We make them doubt that they are children of God, and this must be the ultimate blasphemy. We blame them for something that it is becoming increasingly clear they can do little about. Someone has said that if this particular sexual orientation were indeed a matter of personal choice, then gay and lesbian persons must be the craziest coots around to choose a way of life that exposes them to such hostility, discrimination, loss, and suffering. To say this is akin to saying that a black person voluntarily chooses a complexion and race that exposes him or herself to all the hatred, suffering, and disadvantages to be found in a racist society. Such a person would be stark raving mad. This book contains a searing indictment of our quite comfortable position regarding homosexuality. It is only of homosexual persons that we require universal celibacy, whereas for others we teach that celibacy is a special vocation. We say that sexual orientation is morally a matter of indifference, but what is culpable are homosexual acts. But then we claim that sexuality is a divine gift, which used properly, helps us to become more fully human and akin really to God, as it is this part of our humanity that makes us more gentle and caring, more self-giving and concerned for others than we would be without that gift. Why should we want all homosexual persons not to give expression to their sexuality in loving acts? Why don't we use the same criteria to judge same-sex relationships that we use to judge whether heterosexual relationships are wholesome or not? I was left deeply disturbed by these inconsistencies and knew that the Lord of the Church would not be where his church is in this matter. Can we not act quickly to let the gospel imperatives prevail as we remember our baptism and theirs, and be thankful? >+ Desmond Cape< Desmond Tutu / Archbishop of Capetown ============= [96-1-4] OUR MOST ARDENT LOVER A reading from from >Word is Out: the bible reclaimed for lesbians and gay men< (c) Chris Glaser 1994. March 3 [O God,] where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there [Ps 139:7-8] If I reach the heights of sexual ecstasy, you are there. If I make my bed in a closet, you are there. If I make my bed in compulsive behaviour, you are there. If I go to the bars or a club, you are there. If I go to church or Twelve-Step meetings, you are there. If I stay home alone or go to a party, you are there. God will meet us anywhere. God is indifferent to place, but passionate for us. If a human lover behaved this way, we would have a court issue a restraining order. But there is no restricting God. God is our most intimate "companion", literally one we break bread with. God is so intimate, there is even a Hebrew thanksgiving to be offered after visiting the toilet. This is not the time to get shy or embarrassed about the wrong things. God has seen us naked (indeed, created us naked!), and God has seen us sexually aroused and pleasured and pleasuring (indeed, created within us the capacity!) Thank you for being there, God. Help me to understand that there is no place where you do not love me. [Author box: Chris Glaser is a Presbyterian theologian, now living [in Atlanta. This is from his book >Word is Out: the Bible reclaimed [for Lesbians and Gay Men<, which was reviewed in the September 1995 [issue of >Integrator<] =============== [96-1-5] SINGING A NEW SONG TO THE LORD The British group >Action for Gay and Lesbian Ordination< (AGLO) recently published this rewrite of "Immortal, Invisible" as a reminder to the church of how costly it is when Anglicans endlessly defer full acceptance of lesbigays for "further study and debate". Reprinted from AGLO NEWS, Issue number 2 (February 1996) 1 Inaudible, invisible, victims of lies, will gay priests forever be hid from our eyes? Will lesbian clergy be kept out of sight, their partnerships silenced as secret as night? 2 Not wasting, not waiting, we're seeking the light, nor now hesitating, we speak out what's right. God's justice like mountains high-soaring above will spring up like fountains to honour gay love. 3 To all life God giveth, to both gay and straight, in all life God liveth, so why must we wait? The church could now flourish as leaves on the tree, but chooses to perish in dishonesty. 4 The church needs integrity led from above, to end the hypocrisy forced on gay love. We call on church leaders, O help them to see, 'tis only through justice that all can be free. ============= [96-1-6] OPENING DOORS IN OTTAWA No, it isn't about the federal government, but rather church doors in Ottawa that we're talking about opening here. The second Saturday in April will see an exciting all-day workshop >Opening the Door to Gays and Lesbians< take place at St John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Ottawa. This event is billed as an ecumenical consultation with gay, lesbian and bisexual people, sponsored by St John's and All Saint's Westboro Anglican churches, and First United Church, with active participation from three other churches. It has two objectives: first, to understand the spirituality, gifts, talents and insights of gays, lesbians and bisexuals; and second, to identify ways in which churches in the Ottawa area might better understand and respond to the pastoral needs of lesbians, gays and bisexuals. Participants will have two plenary sessions bracketing the day -- beginning with historic and theological background to the issues, and ending with reflection on the day. In between they will have a choice: The Bible an Homosexuality; Pastoral Care; and Ethical Behaviour workshops in the morning, and Community Building; Ministry to people living with HIV/AIDS; and Spirituality workshops in the afternoon. The organising team has put together a very impressive group of speakers, with no fewer than twenty resource people in the lineup for 13 April. Those people will be available to all who go -- all concerned that lesbigays find an open door when they come to (or even look at) a church. This is the work of evangelism, helping make sure that ALL will hear the good news of the love of God in Christ. The cost is $15, or $5 for those with limited means. Those interested should write to St John the Evangelist, 154 Somerset St West, Ottawa K2P 0H9. If you live within postal codes J, H or K, (we hope that) there's a pamphlet giving more details enclosed with this issue of >Integrator<. Look to the next issue for a report on the event. ======================= [96-1-7] INTEGRITY/TORONTO RETREAT TOWARDS A LESBIAN/GAY SPIRITUALITY: Experiencing Resurrection in a Homophobic World On April 26-28, the annual Integrity/Toronto retreat will be held at St John's Convent, Willowdale. It will be led as always by Sr Thelma-Anne ssjd, and begin after supper on Friday, continuing to Sunday lunchtime. This tradition is well over a decade old, and is a wonderful time to gather, be quiet and focus on our lives in Christ. The cost will be in the region of $100; bursaries are available for those with restricted incomes. Please phone our registrar, Brian MacIntyre at 905 273 9860 if you're planning to attend, so we can let the convent know. Brian is also the person to contact if you'd like bursary assistance. ===== end of text === End of volume 96-1 of Integrator, the newsletter of Integrity/Toronto copyright 1996 Integrity/Toronto comments please to Chris Ambidge, Editor chris.ambidge@utoronto.ca OR Integrity/Toronto Box 873 Stn F Toronto ON Canada M4Y 2N9